When an organization sets a target for the number of kaizen ideas employees should submit, it usually gets exactly what it asked for — a number. What it doesn’t get is genuine improvement. The ideas come in to hit the…
I snapped this pic while visiting a hospital earlier this year. This was out in the cafeteria as part of a series of signs that featured real people talking about their real role in quality.
There was a really good discussion and story on the ESPN program “Sunday NFL Countdown” today about individual player incentive payments — why are they necessary to motivate players and how do they distort the game in the last week…
I’ve written occasionally about Lean efforts in government (see a list of posts here). There are formal Lean government efforts at varying levels of maturity and formality in a number of states, including Iowa, Jacksonville, Michigan, and Paul Akers’ LeanAmerica.org…
The Lean Enterprise Institute has posted the follow up text Q&A by John Toussaint MD and Roger Gerard PhD, co-authors of the book On the Mend: Revolutionizing Healthcare to Save Lives and Transform the Industry. These were extra questions from…
I nearly drove off the road when I heard this NPR story yesterday: “Allowance Economics: Candy, Taxes And Potty Training.” Please take a listen or a read. In the piece, an Australia economics professor who is “an expert in incentives”…
A few thoughts while waiting for a Sunday flight… at least it’s a Sunday flight towards home. One reason traditional organizations (and traditional leaders) struggle with Lean is because the mental models are different. The problem isn’t understanding tools; the…
Mark’s note: Today’s guest post comes to us from Ireland and a lean consultant and author named Andy Brophy. He has a new book called Innovative Lean, for which he interviewed me and some client team members from Children’s Medical…
Recently, I was able to visit VIBCO, a Lean manufacturing company in Rhode Island. Company President Karl Wadensten is the host of “The Lean Nation” radio show. It was my third time visiting the factory in the last six months,…
CNN Programs – Anchors/Reporters – Sanjay Gupta I had a very full, interesting week – giving a well-received talk about Lean Healthcare at the Ontario Hospital Association convention, spending a day with a hospital east of Toronto, and hearing some…
Pay for Grades? – Springfield, IL – The State Journal-Register Flying in and out of Chicago, I’ve been reading over the past few months about the Chicago Public Schools paying high school freshman and sophomores for their grades: “…some Chicago…
Doctor takes pulse of Lutheran Health | The Journal Gazette: Here’s an article about Dr. Mike Schatzlein, Chief executive officer for Lutheran Health Network and Dupont Hospital, in Indiana. “Schatzlein believes “lean engineering” – like that employed by manufacturers to…